Centralia Candidates Meet at Forum

Centralia College and the Centralia Downtown Association hosted a candidate forum on Monday night that featured the candidates running for Centralia City Council, Port of Centralia, and Centralia School Board. Each candidate had the opportunity to answer three questions that were known in advance.

President of Centralia College, Bob Mohrbacher acted as 

moderator of the forum. There were about 75 people in attendance to hear the candidates answer questions. 

Each candidate was asked the same three questions: What do you see is the biggest challenge facing your role and what is your solution? What would you do to encourage community involvement and increase collaboration? What makes you the best candidate?

Centralia City Council

Current Mayor Lee Coumbs attended the forum, and is running against Kelly Smith Johnston in the Centralia City Council Position 2 At Large. Johnston participated in the forum via pre recorded video answers since she could not attend. 

Two newcomers to the council, Elizabeth Cameron and Matt Evans, are running for the Centralia City Council Position 1 At Large. Evans did not attend the forum. 

Each candidate was given 1 minute and 30 seconds to answer each of the three questions. 

Cameron said she sees her biggest challengse as a city councilor to be meeting the requests of the public, including construction of streets and sidewalks and more police presence. 

Her solution is to review the city’s public works budget and to team up with other councilmembers to get work done. 

Cameron answered that she would encourage community involvement by always being available by phone or email. She would like to build relationships with local businesses. 

“Collaboration and outreach at the local and state levels to get to know who’s who and how they can contribute to the city,” said Cameron. 

When answering why she thinks she is the best candidate Cameron, listed her he experience: real estate, business law and being a business owner, her experience as a board member for legal professionals, volunteer experience, listening skills, ability to do research and ask questions, be a team player, be an ambassador for the city and her people skills to seek the balance with other council members for the benefit of the citizens. 

“I am committed to the City of Centralia,” said Cameron.

Coumbs said he sees the biggest challenge facing his role to be the control of growth. His solution is to carry out a comprehensive plan which includes how to handle growth of electrical substations, water and sewer systems, and the community college. 

“This question implies that people do not have the opportunity to become involved. I totally disagree. We have boards and committees in need of volunteers,” answered Coumbs when asked what he would do to encourage community involvement and increase collaboration.

“I believe my experience does help our council and our department heads understand these issues,” said Coumbs when answering why he thinks he makes the best candidate. He also explained how many leaders are going to retire within the next four years and that the council has been selecting, training, and promoting from within and recruiting others. 

Johnston said she also sees the biggest challenges facing the city to be growth. She said she also sees this challenge as an opportunity to create a city with quality roads and infrastructure, a solid tax base and other enhancements that can accompany that growth. 

Johnston answered the question of how she would encourage community involvement and increase collaboration via video.

“One of the things I would like to do as a city council member is to create a system of neighborhood hubs,” she said. 

Johnston described the hubs as places where people can come together, make decisions and practice leadership. She emphasized the need for collective leadership. 

When answering the question asking why she feels she is the best candidate Johnston mentioned her professional background, her work in state and local government, and her role as a homeowner, a parent and a business owner. 

“I am invested in this community. I have lived here for almost 20 years,” said Johnston. 

Port of Centralia

Incumbent Julie Shaffley and former Centralia Mayor Bonnie Canaday, running for Port of Centralia District 2, attended the forum and answered questions.

Shaffley said that after doorbelling she discovered the biggest concerns regarding the Port of Centralia is when Winco is going to open and the traffic on Harrison Ave. She said that Winco is going to open and the Port is talking with business in the area to avoid shift changes during school traffic hours. 

“The biggest question is ‘When is Winco going to open?’ It’s going to open,” Shaffley said. 

“I would encourage the community to drive to the Port of Centralia and look at all the businesses that are housed out there,” Shaffley added, when answering the question “what would you do to encourage community involvement and increase collaboration?” 

She also emphasised the working relationships between businesses, the City of Centralia, Lewis County and Centralia College. 

“I realize that the decisions I have helped make for the past four years as a Port of Centralia Commissioner have made a major impact on the economic health of our community. I do not take that responsibility lightly,” said Shaffley when answering why she thinks she is the best candidate. 

She emphasized the fact that in the last four years since she was elected there have been 500 living-wage jobs introduced to this community at the port. 

Canaday identified the two major problems facing the Port of Centralia as the traffic and living-wage jobs. She proposed that the Board of Centralia work with Lewis County and the state in order to find traffic solutions. Canaday said she would encourage businesses that pay living wages to come to the Port of Centralia and for the port to apply for grants from the state.

“Even if you don’t think we have a traffic (problem) right now we all know that we will as Centralia grows and as the Port District grows,” said Canaday.

In order to encourage community involvement and increase collaboration Canaday said that the citizens would like to see a citizen’s advisory board. Canaday then listed a few meetings that she would like to see Port Commissioners get assigned to attend including, Lewis County Commissioner meetings, Lewis County Transportation Strategy Council, and Lewis County Economic Development Council. 

“I believe that I am the best candidate because of my working relationship with the city council, the City of Chehalis, Lewis County, Lewis County Economic Council, and the citizens of the community,” said Canaday when answering why she thinks she is the best candidate. She said she has the time and energy to do the job.

Centralia School Board

Four candidates running for Centralia School Board participated — Beverly Clark and John Elmore for Position 2. Mandi McDougall and incumbent Jami Lund, running for Centralia School Board position 4, also attended the candidate forum.

Clark emphasised the need for clear communication and decisions backed up with facts and research. She said the broken trust within the community is the biggest challenge facing her role.

“We need to repair that trust in our community, we need to do it not just with words but with actions which speak louder,” said Clark.

When Clark was asked how she would increase community involvement and encourage collaboration, she said, “I think that having easier access to school board meetings as a working parent,” she said. 

She also said that having a later start time for school board meetings than 5 p.m. would allow for more people to attend. She also suggested that there be interpreters for people whose first language is not English, that the presenters time be limited and that the focus is always the children.

Clark answered the last question, “what makes you the best candidate?” by saying, “I’m really passionate. It is all about our children. We always want them to have more than what we had and that’s what we’re here to give them  — more than what we had,” she said. 

Clark said she has been an advocate for her children and feels every child needs that advocate. She also mentioned her degree in education. 

Elmore said he “doorbelled” the community and the resounding feedback he heard was of the financial aspect of the school board and budgetary issues, “I did some research and I was concerned about the budget that was proposed for the 2019-2020 year as it does address a budgetary deficit…what can we do as a board member to help resolve that,” said Elmore when asked what he thinks is the biggest issue facing his role.

When Elmore was asked how he would increase community involvement and encourage collaboration, he talked about the “Dolly Parton Imagination Library Project” that he has been working on which he hopes will be out by the end of this year. He said he feels it will help to prepare children for kindergarten thus reducing school board costs. 

Elmore answered the last question, “what makes you the best candidate?” by saying he has lived here in Centralia all his life and has been awarded his certificate of municipal leadership, and is a single dad with two kids. 

“I’ve advocated for my children knowing what they need to be successful in this world,” he said. 

McDougall spoke about the biggest issues the board faces.

“As a parent, a community member, a business member, there’s a lot of financial issues, a lot of issues with the reconfiguration of our schools, and a laundry list of issues that our children walk in the door with everyday to those classrooms,” she said.

To increase community collaboration, McDougall said people are giving up their time and energy which she feels isn’t the case with current administration. 

“Number one is figuring out who it is we want to bring in, what we need collaboration for and then bringing in the people who are passionate and making that happen,” she said. 

McDougall answered the last question, “what makes you the best candidate?” by discussing her involvement in the community and her education. 

“I am a busy mom. Finally my sister said, ‘How long are you going to complain about it before you do something?’ and so I said ‘okay here I go,’” she said. 

Lund said that the biggest challenge the Centralia School District is facing now is “how unbalanced we have become in our priorities. We went from $13,700 per student to $14,900 per student. Unfortunately I don’t think we have increased services to families to account for those increases,” said Lund. 

He said he has concerns with English-learners, transportation and special education.

When Lund was asked how he would increase community involvement and encourage collaboration, he said, “Over the last four years I get hardly any contact from members of the community because they don’t believe that anything will change if they do contact us,” he said.

Lund listed four things that he felt made him the better candidate: education and knowledge of education policy, a collaborative personality, hard-working with little family obligations, and balanced between taxpayers concerns and educator’s concerns.